New Year Grocery and Pantry Challenge, how did you do? - Page 9

[CookiePie]

We are looking for room in the grocery budget so today instead of running to the store to get a loaf of bread I made one from scratch, which means I didn't grab other stuff at the store that I didn't really need just because I was at the store! I am looking for a great recipe that is both whole wheat & dairy-free, I used 1/2 white & 1/2 ww, but would like a good recipe that is not to heavy for 100% ww. Please post if you have one!

We had pancakes & scrambled eggs for dinner tonight!

[Amys1st]

Originally Posted by dagny.galt

Is anyone else getting creative with their pantry staples or learning new skills this month?

Yes. And as pp, we had pancakes for dinner last Saturday. The kids got a big kick out of it.


We ate a ton of eggs for breakfast over the holidays as well as baking so I think come the new year, we took a bit of a break from eggs. So I had 2 dozen plus in my fridge because of my weekly delivery. So I am making deviled eggs today with a recipe I found in Savuer Dec.


I also have a ton of sweet pototaoes. Any ideas? Soup?

[dagny.galt]

Hmmm...the only sweet potato we have right now is the one growing in a hanging flowerpot.

Maybe you could make some yummy sweet potato fries? My stepson loves them, they actually serve them at his school.

[meandk0610]

over the past few days, we've managed to use 2 cans of green beans, 1 can of peas, 1 can of sweet potato, and 1 can of pears. i'm trying to use up the rest of the jar of marinara sauce in the fridge but i'm the only one who eats tomatoes. so why do i have 4 more jars of marinara sauce, dried tomato powder and tomato paste?

i forgot to add stuff! we've finished our 3-lac probiotic from the pantry. i'd forgotten it was there and had switched us to different probiotics. we also ate a package of jello. only 3 more to go!

BTW, has anyone ever tried to sell some extra food, the stuff you know you won't use and don't know why bought, on craigslist?

[dagny.galt]

Well, DH just got laid off, so I guess this pantry challenge has just gotten more serious for me. No word on where he'll be working next, though he has the promise of a longer-term job in Montana if he wants to travel that far from home (Kansas). *sigh*

He'll be pulling his travel trailer home tonight, so I think I'm going to go dig in the pantry and fridge/freezers to see what special treat I can whip up for a late dessert. He'll need the pick-me-up.


meandk0610 -- I've never sold food on my local CL, but I have seen people giving away boxes of food on the free section. Usually, it's because of a move or some such, but sometimes it's just people clearing out their pantry. I don't see any reason why you couldn't try it.

[Chicky2]

Originally Posted by Amys1st

I am tracking groceries more closely this year seeing if I can keep us under $550 a month incl the beef that I buy once at the beginning as well as pork later on.

I actually set up a spreadsheet the other day, and I have it right on my desktop, along w/one for livestock expenses/sales, and my dh's sidejobs.

I know this is gonna sound kind of 'duh', but I think I just need to set myself an actual spending limit for groceries and household stuff. It has been years since I've really had to budget my grocery spending (yes, I'm VERY thankful) because of my dh's higher earnings and the way we've been coming across our food (esp. meats). I've been very spoiled, I'm sure. I do overbuy sometimes, and just need to set a limit for myself. I could really stand to cut down, and toss that $ elsewhere (like the mortgage! we have no other real debt).

Originally Posted by dagny.galt

Is anyone else getting creative with their pantry staples or learning new skills this month?

Mmmm, your yogurt day sounds great! What will you use the whey for? Soaking beans? My chickens would get most of it here. Did you use the cooler method for yogurt making?

Originally Posted by CookiePie

We are looking for room in the grocery budget so today instead of running to the store to get a loaf of bread I made one from scratch, which means I didn't grab other stuff at the store that I didn't really need just because I was at the store! I am looking for a great recipe that is both whole wheat & dairy-free, I used 1/2 white & 1/2 ww, but would like a good recipe that is not to heavy for 100% ww. Please post if you have one!

We had pancakes & scrambled eggs for dinner tonight!

I have found that there is alot less impulse buying when my oldest dd shops. She works at Wmart (no flames, please!), so a) she gets a discount, and b) she can just bring home whatever I need. We live in the country, so that helps alot!

I'm sure you could just use water? in any bread recipe instead of milk. Or use an alternative milk?

Originally Posted by Amys1st

I also have a ton of sweet pototaoes. Any ideas? Soup?

Sweet potato bread (cranberry sweet potato rocks!), white bean/kale/sausage/sweet potato soup, baked sweet potatoes w/chili and cheese on top (mmmm!), addictive sweet potato burritos (again, super mmmmmm!) http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Addicti...os/Detail.aspx we use black beans instead of kidney.

[meandk0610]

yeah, i've seen people give away food on freecycle, but i need to try to get some money. my husband has said he's moving out at beginning of february so i need the money (i work very PT; his and his parents' money pretty much pays the bills).

[Chicky2]

Originally Posted by dagny.galt

Well, DH just got laid off, so I guess this pantry challenge has just gotten more serious for me.

I'm so sorry!!!!

[dagny.galt]

Chicky2:

I'm just in the last month starting to make my own yogurt, so this is my first attempt at yogurt cheese (or any cheese, for that matter!). Thus, the first time I've had whey to use up. I wish I had chickens, but my HOA would KILL me. I'll probably use it for baking or some such. I hadn't heard of using it to soak beans...what does that do?

As for the yogurt-making method, I splurged and bought a yogurt maker with my Christmas money. I got a great deal and figure that as often as I plan on making yogurt, it'll pay for itself fairly readily.

meandk0610:

Ah. I was actually meaning that I don't see a reason why you couldn't try to sell the stuff. It might not work, but you don't lose much in trying, kwim?

Chicky2:

Thanks for the hug. We're not in too bad of shape, though there is a part of me that's gibbering in the corner with worry. Mostly, I'm just going into hunker-down-and-weather-it mode. No unnecessary spending, waste nothing, pinch every penny 'til it screams, etc. etc. etc. I've been here before. On the upside, all our bills and expenses for this month except gas and grocery are paid, and we have another months' expenses saved up. It's March that'll get interesting if he's still laid off.

[Chicky2]

Originally Posted by dagny.galt

Chicky2:

I'll probably use it for baking or some such. I hadn't heard of using it to soak beans...what does that do?

Um, I'm lazy so I'm not gonna go look it up unless you really want me to, lol. (sorry, but I'm exhausted from being sick) It is used w/beans (esp. black) when soaking to help break down something in them that is bad for you. It is a thing that TFers (traditional foods) do. There is a TF forum here on MDC.


Chicky2:

Thanks for the hug. We're not in too bad of shape, though there is a part of me that's gibbering in the corner with worry. Mostly, I'm just going into hunker-down-and-weather-it mode. No unnecessary spending, waste nothing, pinch every penny 'til it screams, etc. etc. etc. I've been here before. On the upside, all our bills and expenses for this month except gas and grocery are paid, and we have another months' expenses saved up. It's March that'll get interesting if he's still laid off.

Sounds like you are way better off than some people I know. Surely things will be looking brighter before March!

ETA: I don't know why my silly post looks like that. Read the quoted part, too.

[lucifugous]

We don't really have guests over.. I need to invite someone to help eat all this food! :P

Originally Posted by dagny.galt

Is anyone else getting creative with their pantry staples or learning new skills this month?

I also learned how to make yogurt this week. Our fridge has been kinda cluttered and our storage containers all in use, so I did not keep the whey. But I plan to figure out what to do with it before the next time I make yogurt

[Amys1st]

Picked up the beef, all 200 plus pounds. Even though the hanging weight is about 390 lbs, you loose so much after the butchering. So the freezer is now packed to the max and will be for about 8-12 weeks.

Since my ILs watched the kids while we drove the 2 hours there and then 2 hours back, we did a bacon cheeseburger and fries lunch for all of us. Yum.

Tonight, since we had a big lunch meal, we will do leftovers or a light meal of what is in the fridge. I need to use 2 portibello shrums.

We used some red potatoes and some sweet potatoes for the fries. My MIL loves the sweet potato fries.

Tomorrow is chicken cutlet night w salad. I cancelled this week's delivery to use up some stuff too.

Also, I have a few rotten bannanas so I will make 2 loaves of bannana bread tomorrow. One for my friend's DH who loves this bread (its his 40th bday) and one for us since my dd2 has only begged for it!

Cleaning out the freezer, we also found raison bread, turnips, and some frozen foccocia bread. So I can use that for the bello shroms tonight.

[my2girlz]

1 was good and no money spent.
2 $0 spent. We are using up the last of the french bread for garlic toast
3 $0 spent. used up leftovers for brunch and we pulled out a chicken to roast tonight
4. $0 spent. ate chicken soup from last night's roasted chicken for lunch. grilled cheese and tomato soup for dinner.
5. $67.11 spent. finished chicken soup for lunch and we'll be having garlic, parmesan chicken, pierogies, and some veggies from the freezer for dinner
6. $31.14 spent. leftovers for lunch (spaghetti) and we've got broccoli cheese soup and breadsticks on the menu for tonight
7. $26.xx spent on dog food. leftover parm. chicken for lunch. had Italian Pasta Bake for dinner and a salad. We finished up a bottle of salad dressing and the croutons so that was nice
8. $0 spent. leftovers for lunch. dinner ended up being fast food
9. $16.xx spent. lunch ended up being what we were supposed to eat for dinner last night. dinner ended up leftovers
10. $15.xx spent on potatoes and misc. lunch will be leftovers and dinner will be turkey, mashed potatoes, and corn casserole
11. $0 spent. lunch and dinner are leftovers
12. $46.xx spent. lunch is leftovers, dinner is frozen pizza for the kids and grilled pizzas with some of the leftovers on the 2 remaining flat out bread
13. $0 spent. lunch is leftovers again. dinner will either be whatever you can find or grilled cheese and tomato soup. We'll be out of town for a couple of days so I've been trying to use up the leftovers before we leave.
14. $55.71 spent. lunch was progresso soup. dinner was eaten in the car (packed lunch)
15. lunch was bought at gymnastics meet and dinner was pizza out with gymnastics group.
16. lunch was fast food (on the road). dinner will be fend for yourself

[HydeParkB]

I haven't been able to check in, but we've been doing pretty well.

I've avoided spending much at the store for the last two weeks. I am a sale-shopper, and I have a hard time resisting stocking my pantry to the gills. I can move things around in the freezer now, so that is helping.

We've made beef dip sandwiches and chicken taco in the crockpot.

I, too, have some oxtails to deal with. Oxtail soup sounds pretty good - my mom made a pretty good version when I was growing up.

[dagny.galt]

Well, I spent $50.27 yesterday on frozen vegs. (10/$10), fresh produce, milk, dry milk, eggs, and a few random pantry items. Some free tuna pouches (yay, coupons + sales!) and a few drinkable yogurts for my ds (they were free + overage, and since they're single serve he can get them for himself in the morning. I'm working on packaging my homemade yogurt in single-serve containers for him.) It's already strange having DH home...I'm having to account for the additional adult portions when planning meals/shopping.

Oh, and we had Chinese for lunch yesterday. It was a long morning, and we were running behind by the time we got to the grocery store. Getting take-out was the least of our worries. *sigh* That's our only budgeted meal out for the month, so we have to be good from here on out, esp. with DH laid off.

Total spent for the month: $98.80
Total remaining in my January budget: $71.91
Meals out: 1/28

Tonight is a traditional roasted chicken dinner. Mmmmm. Should be great leftovers for lunches, too.

[my2girlz]

1 was good and no money spent.
2 $0 spent. We are using up the last of the french bread for garlic toast
3 $0 spent. used up leftovers for brunch and we pulled out a chicken to roast tonight
4. $0 spent. ate chicken soup from last night's roasted chicken for lunch. grilled cheese and tomato soup for dinner.
5. $67.11 spent. finished chicken soup for lunch and we'll be having garlic, parmesan chicken, pierogies, and some veggies from the freezer for dinner
6. $31.14 spent. leftovers for lunch (spaghetti) and we've got broccoli cheese soup and breadsticks on the menu for tonight
7. $26.xx spent on dog food. leftover parm. chicken for lunch. had Italian Pasta Bake for dinner and a salad. We finished up a bottle of salad dressing and the croutons so that was nice
8. $0 spent. leftovers for lunch. dinner ended up being fast food
9. $16.xx spent. lunch ended up being what we were supposed to eat for dinner last night. dinner ended up leftovers
10. $15.xx spent on potatoes and misc. lunch will be leftovers and dinner will be turkey, mashed potatoes, and corn casserole
11. $0 spent. lunch and dinner are leftovers
12. $46.xx spent. lunch is leftovers, dinner is frozen pizza for the kids and grilled pizzas with some of the leftovers on the 2 remaining flat out bread
13. $0 spent. lunch is leftovers again. dinner will either be whatever you can find or grilled cheese and tomato soup. We'll be out of town for a couple of days so I've been trying to use up the leftovers before we leave.
14. $55.71 spent. lunch was progresso soup. dinner was eaten in the car (packed lunch)
15. lunch was bought at gymnastics meet and dinner was pizza out with gymnastics group.
16. lunch was fast food (on the road). dinner will be fend for yourself
17. $46.88 for groceries, $15.14 for lunch out with a friend (planned). dinner was a nacho plate

[lucifugous]

We are planning to move soon so everyone else in the house is now on board with clearing out the pantry and freezer! As I said in the beginning, our "pantry" is pretty small- nothing in massive quantities, just a variety of beans and random stuff. I keep three types of flour on hand , and I have one extra sack of AP. Extra bottle of ketchup. We are down to just a couple cans, which are mostly for my mom- though I did use two yesterday in a baked version of this Moroccan chicken recipe. In the freezer we have two pot roasts, a package of beef steak tips (processed- Hormel I think?), a little cooked shrimp, a gallon of ice cream, a "gravy packet" that came with a frozen turkey breast (after glancing at the ingredients, maybe I should sneak that into the trash), and three different homemade soups! We have our work cut out for us, but it could definitely be worse ETA forgot to add that while I was gone today my mom used my stock veggie stash from the freezer to make broth and then used most of the potatoes we had to make potato soup! Good use of our veggies!

[Chicky2]

The past few days we've just been surviving. More flu (my oldest now, who NEVER gets sick), and 2 secondary infections to deal with...

We had tacos the other night (dd2's bday and what she requested--the only thing she's really eaten since my Asian soup, too!), and then my dh smoked some chicken this weekend. He used up a bag of Schwans oven roasted veggies, too.

Tonight I'll try to do something w/the leftover smoked chicken. Maybe a salad to go on sandwiches. Maybe start some stock w/the bones for a quick soup for sickies...

[pranamama]

Originally Posted by maciascl

I use them to make pasta fagioli. In a large pan sautee chopped carrots, onion & celery in olive oil (& anyother veggies you like). Add canned diced tomatoes, broth, italian seasoning, garlic, beans & about 2 cups spiral (or other shaped) pasta. Cover & simmer about 20 min. I also like to throw in some fresh baby spinich in the last few minutes. Yum!

Thanks I've never eaten this but it sounds delicious, and faster than the soups I start w/ carrot,onion and celery

[lucifugous]

Doing well eating leftovers here. Made a whole chicken today, broth simmering right now. Also have a new soup- loaded potato- in the fridge (still haven't worked on the freezer stash of soups, but at least none of this one will make it to the freezer!) Also have soup and pot roast, both with parsnips, planned for this week- have everything needed for those. Will just need some fruit and maybe butter later in the week. Grocery spending up to $167 for the month, and that doesn't include what my mom and brother have spent on stuff they want.